Coupling



Oct 17, 1944 B. H. FOSTER ETAL 2,360,485

COUPLING Filed OCT.. 15, 1942 Al" /7 J' 5 l g- A TTORNEY Patented Oct. 17, 1944 COUPLING Boutwell H. Foster, Maplewood, and Herbert E. Sunbury, Rutherford, N. J., asslgnors to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 15, 1942, Serial No. 462,168

1 Claim. (Cl. 285-174) This invention relates to couplings comprising a pair of intertted sleeves having latch means associated therewith for locking the sleeves together.

Couplings having various types of latch means -for holding the parts together have been proposed heretofore, but when the latch means employed heretofore have operated positively to lock the parts together, it has usually been necessary to provide means whereby the latch can be manually released when the parts are to be separated.

The present invention contemplates simple and inexpensive latch means for positively locking the sleeves together and which may be quickly and easily released by simply rotating one sleeve relative to the other slightly While pulling the sleeves apart.

The present construction has been developed more particularly for use in couplings formed of light-Weight non-metallic sleeves which are more fragile than metal, and therefore cannot be cut and notched to the same degree as metal without unduly weakening the fragile parts. The present construction, however, may be employed for positively locking metal or other coupling parts together.

One important advantage of the present construction is that it may be employed without the necessity of cutting away or reducing the strength of either of the sleeves of the coupling. Another advantage resides in the construction whereby the sleeves may be quickly and easily locked together by simply moving one axially into interftted relation with the other without the necessity of turning one sleeve relative to the other into particular alignment. Another extremely important advantage of the present construction resides in means whereby the sleeves may be rmly locked together so that they will not pull apart but may be easily and quickly separated by simply grasping a sleeve in each hand and rotating one relatively to the other slightly While exerting a separating pull upon the sleeves.

The above and other advantages of the present invention and novel arrangement of parts will be more fully understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating one good practical embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the sleeves of the present coupling;

Fig. 2 is a similar view through the other sleeve of this coupling;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the two sleeves of the coupling in their assembled relation;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the coupling of Flg.'3;

. Fig. 5 is a face view of a blade spring to be described;

Fig. 6 is an end view and Fig. '1 is a sectional view. on a larger scale, through part of the coupling showing the locking spring in its locking position;

Figs.' 8 and 9 are similar views showing the locking spring moved part way towards the sleeve releasing position;

Figs. 10 and 11 are similar views showing the spring out of locking engagement with the sleeve and resting against the cylindrical inner face of the sleeve; and

Fig. 12 is a face view of part ofone sleeve with the locking spring in locking engagement therewith.

The coupling locking means contemplated by the present invention may be employed upon variousv types of couplings formed of intertted sleeves provided the sleeves when fitted together may be rotated one relative to the other, and these sleeves may be formed of plastics, paper compounds, metal and other relatively rigid materials.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the coupling comprises the interiitted sleeves I0 and I I, preferably formed of anon-metallic rigid material such as paper -treated with Bakelite. The sleeve I0 has its bore increase in size as at I2 for some distance to snugly receive the portion of the sleeve II that is reduced in diameter as at I3 to t within the portion I2 as will be apparent from Fig. 3. The construction of these intertted sleeves is such that the parts I2 and I3 t one within the other telescopically and the parts may be rotated one within the other, and may be moved axially one relatively to the other unless prevented by the locking means which will now be described.

The locking means of the present inventionl is constructed for positively locking the sleeves I0 and II together so that they cannot be separated` by a direct longitudinal pull upon one relative to the other but can be quickly and easily separated by rotating one slightly relative to the other during such longitudinal pull.

The locking means illustrated comprises the blade springs I4, two being shown in the drawing as secured to the inner Wall of the sleeve I0 diametrcally opposite each other. Each of these flat springs has a bowed construction as will be apparent from Fig. 1 so that the outer free ends of these springs tend to spread away from each other. Each spring I4 is shown as rigidly secured to the inner wall of the sleeve IIIv byy lip or projection forms with the outer end surface I8 of the sleeve I| is extremely important since if the underface I8 of this lip, which rests upon the surface I8, lies parallel to the surface I8, it will be impossible to separate the sleeves by` the combined pulling and turning movement herein contemplated, and on the other hand, if the underface I9 'of the lip II forms an angle of more than several degrees with the surface I8, the sleeves will not be positively locked together and will separate under a direct separating pull of one relative to the other.

The essential feature of the present inventionl resides in the construction in which the underface I9 of each lip I1 is inclined to the surface I8 of the sleeve II to such a slight extent that these springs I4 will not release the sleeves under a direct separating pull but will release the sleeves when such direct pull is supplemented by a rotation of one sleeve relative to the other. This rotation in either direction serves to increase the tendency of the slightly inclined lips I'I to slide inwardly upon the surface I8 to the sleeve releasing position of Figs. l and 11. The angle at which the underface I9 inclines to the surface I8 may vary from about 1 to 8 degrees, depending upon the stiffness of thesprings I4 and the freedom with which the lip II slides on the surface I8. l

The manner in which the springs I4 are forced inwardly to the sleeve releasing position under the combined action of a separating pull and rotation of one sleeve relative to the other will be clearly understood from an examination of Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing. in which the lip I'I is shown in full locking engagement with the sleeve surface I8, and then observing Figs. 8 and 9 in which the lip is shown as approaching the releasing position, and then noting Figs. 10 and 11 in which the spring is shown as entirely out of engagement with the surface I8- of the sleeve In the construction shown the lip I'I is somewhat V-shaped in appearance and has its outer nose rounded so that it will slide upon the inner face of the sleeve I| without digging into the same, and this lip I1 may be bowed slightly in cross-section as best shown in Fig. l2 so that the underface I9 Will slide smoothly upon the surface I8 of the sleeve without digging into the same. It will also be noted that the outer shank portion of the spring I4 may, if desired,

be provided with the rib or bead as best shown in Fig. l1 since this will increase the stiiness of the shank portion of the spring and will prevent the edges of the blade spring I4 from coming into direct contact with the inner curved surface of the sleeve II as will be apparent from Fig. 6. The spring I4 may be given the construction just described by a stamping operation adapted to form the bead 20 and curved 75- Vpart to the same the desired outwardly bent lip I'I, and after such stamping 'operation the spring may be tempered to imresilient properties.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the interiltted sleeves Il and II can be easily and quickly locked together as shown in Fig. 3 by simply pressing the bowed springs I4 inwardly towards each othersumciently to enter the bore of the sleeve II whereupon the male portion I3 of the sleeve I may be slid into the female portion I2 of the sleeve I I until the portion Il is fully inserted. The Sprints I4 will then snap into the locking position in which they are shown in Fig. 3 to hold the sleeves against sepa.- ration by direct axial pull.

Were it not for the novel construction above described whereby the sleeves may be separated by a slight rotation of one relative to the other while exerting a separating pull upon the sleeves, it would be extremely dimcult to disconnect-the sleeves if the springs I4 positively locked them together, particularly if the outer endsoi these springs are located within some enclosing member which prevents manual access to the springs I4. To illustrate this the sleeves` Il and II are shown as having associated therewith in dot and dash lines the tubular members 2| which may be firmly secured to each of the sleeves III and by providing each of these sleeves with a shallow annular groove 22 adapted to form a depression in which a cord or fastening means 28 secured about the tube 2| may lie. The fabric tube 2| is sufiiciently flexible to permit a slight rotation to be imparted to one or the other coupling sleeves I0 and II while they are subjected to a separating pull to thereby release the latch springs I4.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the means herein disclosed for positively locking the sleeves I0 and II together is extremely simple in construction and easy to operate both in securing the sleeves together and releasing them.

While it has been stressed herein in the specication and claim that the sleeves Il and II are positively locked together so that they will not separate under a direct pull, it should be understood that this means that they will not separate unless subjected to a direct axial pull so great that it will distort the springs I4 beyond their intended operating condition. If the separating force exerted on the sleeves is far beyond the strength for which the springs I4 were designed, they will be bent or sprung to the sleeve releasing position.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A coupling comprising a pair of interfitted sleeves adapted to be turned one in the other and to be moved axially into and out of intertted relation, means for holding'the sleeves together Without restricting their relative rotation, including an annular shoulder on one sleeve and leaf springs secured to the other sleeve and having projections adapted to engage said shoulder when the sleeves are interitted to lock them together, each spring having the active face of its projection disposed at slightly more than ninety degrees to the longitudinal axis of the coupling so that such active faces will not slide upon said shoulder to release the sleeves under a direct axial pull but will slide upon said shoulder along a spiral path to release the sleeves as a result of the inclination of the projections if one sleeve is rotated relative to the other during said pull.

BOU'I'WELL H. FOSTER. HERBERT E. SUNBURY. 

